How to pronounce "machiavellians" in English
ma·chi·a·VEL·li·ans
Primary stress: vel
Hear native speakers say machiavellians in context across real video clips
The word is "pizzled": it's a combination of puzzled and pissed off. I think it's quite apt. It's our empathy, it's our tuning in which separates us from Machiavellians or sociopaths. which separates us from Machiavellians or sociopaths.
Linguistic Pronunciation Masterclass: “machiavellians”
Phonetic mechanics, syllable architecture, and conversational cadence
Syllable Architecture & Stress Distribution
ma
Reduced vowel sound, relaxed jaw, and minimal vocal effort.
chi
Reduced vowel sound, relaxed jaw, and minimal vocal effort.
a
Reduced vowel sound, relaxed jaw, and minimal vocal effort.
VEL
Elevated pitch, sustained vowel length, and full acoustic clarity.
li
Reduced vowel sound, relaxed jaw, and minimal vocal effort.
ans
Reduced vowel sound, relaxed jaw, and minimal vocal effort.
Primary emphasis falls on the fourth syllable ("VEL"). Raise your pitch and sustain the vowel length on this syllable while relaxing the surrounding syllables.
Common Pronunciation Traps & Learner Mistakes
The Trap: Avoid pronouncing every vowel with full acoustic weight. Non-native speakers often over-enunciate unstressed vowels.
How Native Speakers Say It: Only give full vowel clarity to the primary stressed syllable. Relax all unstressed vowels into a neutral, low-energy schwa (⁄ə⁄).
Connected Speech & Natural Conversational Flow
When "machiavellians" is followed by a word starting with a vowel, glide the final consonant into the opening vowel (e.g. "machiavellians is" sounds like "machiavellians-iz").
Maintain the stress-timed rhythm of English: compress unstressed syllables rapidly so the beat of "machiavellians" aligns naturally with adjacent words.
Authentic Spoken Quotes from Native Video Context
“It's our empathy, it's our tuning in which separates us from Machiavellians or sociopaths.”— TEDWatch clip
“It's a word, like we said the Machiavellians for instance, they are the followers of Machiavelli, those who think like Machiavelli.”— YaleCoursesWatch clip
“um this has to do with in terms of resist you often bring up the book uh machiavellians by james”— Native SpeakerWatch clip
“because you preface the question, Machiavellians are pursuing their own individual self-interest as if that was somehow bad though.”— Native SpeakerWatch clip
“And you can identify, if you look carefully enough, Machiavellians who actually laugh at people's suffering”— Native SpeakerWatch clip
“recommend to others sure uh the machiavellians by james burnham uh this is a book about how politics works in reality as opposed to how”— Native SpeakerWatch clip
Practice Speaking “machiavellians”
Listen to native pronunciation, record yourself repeating the sentence into your microphone, and receive real-time word-by-word accuracy scoring.
It's our empathy, it's our tuning in which separates us from Machiavellians or sociopaths.
Hear it in context: “machiavellians”
12 clipsThe English word “machiavellians”. Phonologically, it consists of 6 syllables (ma · chi · a · vel · li · ans), with primary lexical stress placed on the 4th syllable (vel). Grammatically, “machiavellians” functions as a adjective, noun. SayItVid indexes 12 authentic English video clips demonstrating how native speakers articulate “machiavellians” in natural connected speech across American (US: 8 sampled), British (UK), and Australian (AUS) accents, including verified broadcasts from TED, YaleCourses.
Spoken Video Transcripts & Contextual Quotes (5 Verified Clips)
- 🇺🇸 USTEDClip #1 · @6:17
“The word is "pizzled": it's a combination of puzzled and pissed off. I think it's quite apt. It's our empathy, it's our tuning in which separates us from Machiavellians or sociopaths. which separates us from Machiavellians or sociopaths.”
- 🇺🇸 USYaleCoursesClip #2 · @12:59
“The simonists are the followers. It's a word, like we said the Machiavellians for instance, they are the followers of Machiavelli, those who think like Machiavelli. for instance, they are the followers of”
- 🇺🇸 USClip #3 · @67:03
“i saw this somewhere the oh yeah yeah yeah um this has to do with in terms of resist you often bring up the book uh machiavellians by james in terms of resist you often bring up the book uh machiavellians by james”
- 🇺🇸 USClip #4 · @49:55
“Yes, I thought . because you preface the question, Machiavellians are pursuing their own individual self-interest as if that was somehow bad though. Machiavellians are pursuing their”
- 🇺🇸 USClip #5 · @20:21
“We actually coded their non-verbal behavior. And you can identify, if you look carefully enough, Machiavellians who actually laugh at people's suffering Machiavellians who actually laugh at people's suffering”
Definition & Meaning: “machiavellians”
- Attempting to achieve goals by cunning, scheming, and unscrupulous methods, especially in politics.
- Related to the philosophical system of Niccolò Machiavelli.
- An unscrupulous schemer.
Example Sentences (3)
- “Iago is the Machiavellian antagonist in William Shakespeare's play Othello.”
- “As Dr. Spalding notes, the connection that Washington drew "between private morality and national character, between virtue and happiness, hardly seems Machiavellian."”
- “I think it's quite apt. It's our empathy, it's our tuning in which separates us from Machiavellians or sociopaths.”
Common Phrases & Collocations
Pronounce: “machiavellians”
- Syllables:
- ma · chi · a · vel · li · ans
- Primary stress:
- vel
- Hear it in context
- machiavellians
Synonyms: “machiavellians”
Hear words related in meaning to “machiavellians” in real video clips:
Words that Sound Identical (Homophones)
Unique Sound"machiavellians" has no true homophones in standard English — there are no other words with identical pronunciation. Unlike sound-alike pairs like there / their or peace / piece, "machiavellians" has a completely distinct phonetic identity.
Frequently asked questions about machiavellians
How many syllables are in “machiavellians”?
“machiavellians” has 6 syllables: ma · chi · a · vel · li · ans.
Where is the stress in “machiavellians”?
The primary stress in “machiavellians” is on “VEL”. Listen for that stressed syllable in the clips above.
What does “machiavellians” mean?
Attempting to achieve goals by cunning, scheming, and unscrupulous methods, especially in politics.
How can I hear “machiavellians” used in real sentences?
This page has 12 real-world video examples of “machiavellians” with synchronized subtitles. Use Previous / Next (or ← / → keys) to hear each one at the exact moment it is spoken.
What is the most common pronunciation mistake when saying “machiavellians”?
Avoid pronouncing every vowel with full acoustic weight. Non-native speakers often over-enunciate unstressed vowels. Only give full vowel clarity to the primary stressed syllable. Relax all unstressed vowels into a neutral, low-energy schwa (⁄ə⁄).